Well, our bike journey is over and so is the NBL’s last Grand National Championship of BMX bike racing. Our arrival in Louisville was a bittersweet moment for all three of us. We were proud of our accomplishment but the reality that our ride was over, was a bit sad. Don’t get me wrong; we are eager to get back to some of our creature comforts, namely our own real beds. But that will still have to wait for a while longer. We are currently in NJ visiting friends and family before we head home to Florida.

On Friday, we saw lots of friends that we’ve known for years and those whom we’ve met along the way. We were prepared for the moment we ran into Art Luck of the Richmond, VA track. When visiting Art’s track in May, we asked if anyone had a bungee cord they could spare since we managed to lose one along the way. Art brought us a blue bungee that was a bit worn but still had life in it. He handed it to Frankenbutt, holding onto one end as he said, “I want this back. I want you to hand this to me AT THE GRANDS.” It was such a cool gesture and it became a sentimental item that we carried along our journey. When we saw Art, Frankenbutt slowly pulled the bungee from his pocket and Art smiled. He hugged us both and said, “I’m so glad to see you all here.” We were glad, too!

When the races started on Friday evening, we watched as the best of the best rode and jumped and flew over the Derby City track. It was our 7th trip to the Grands and Frankenbutt and I quietly hoped that it would be the Beast’s time to shine; maybe even her first time to make the main and take home a giant trophy. The Beast was excited to be at the Grands and couldn’t wait to see her BMX friends. I noticed that most of her excitement was about seeing friends and less about racing. I assured myself that she is 13, a very social age, and that her focus would naturally be more about the social aspect and less about the racing. As I was falling asleep that evening, I thought about all the times my daughter has wrestled with staying in BMX; all the times we encouraged her to continue to race, even when she doubted her own abilities. I decided, then and there, that I trust my daughter to make her own decisions about BMX racing from here forward. She has proven to me over the course of this long ride, that she is mature, insightful and thoughtful. She has devoted 9 years, on and off, to BMX racing. She has had times when she was driven and times when she was indifferent about her sport of choice. She has seen most all of America, experienced other lifestyles and cultures and often speaks with wisdom beyond her years. It’s time for us to listen. I fell asleep feeling a little more mature myself. On Saturday morning, Frankenbutt was the first one up and checked out the moto boards. The Beast was in Moto 146 and had gates 1, 4 and 8 in her 3 qualifying rounds. I had the 2nd shift of scoring and figured that they’d be running 100 motos per hour; meaning that I’d probably be able to watch her first race before I started scoring. I wished the Beast luck, told her to go enjoy riding and that Frankenbutt and I would be watching from the final straight. She smiled and headed up into staging. When the gate dropped and the six 13 year old challenger girls in her moto blasted out onto the track, the Beast was slightly in the rear of the pack as she cleared the first triple. She dove into the first berm and quickly skid out and fell. I was frozen in place and couldn’t breathe as I watched the corner marshall run down to help her. Two other track officials surrounded her and I couldn’t see if she was ok. I ran towards the finish line to wait for her, knowing that it was best to let the officials do their job and wait to see if she was able to get up and ride. In short order, the Beast was back up and the announcer said, “that’s Neva Warren, one of the Ride the Nation family, who rode her bike over 3500 miles from Florida to here. She’s back up and ok. She’s as tough as a $2 steak at the Waffle House.” I found tears streaming down my face, relieved that she was ok. When she rode into the finish line area, I wrapped my arms around her and asked if she was ok. She said she was but that she realized that the fall really screwed up her chances of advancing. She seemed to look at me with a question she wasn’t asking. I answered it any way. I said, “I don’t mind if you don’t win. I’m just really glad to know you’re ok.” She smiled through the tears and then Frankenbutt arrived and he wrapped his arms around her and asked how she was. They walked off together towards the chairs we had in the shade as I made my way to the finish line to score. In the second moto, I was at the finish line scoring and didn’t see the beginning of her race. I noticed that she crossed the finish line in 5th place out of the 6 riders. When I finished my scoring shift, I found the Beast and she told me that she had fallen over in the gate and therefore had to race like mad to get the 5th place finish. She also acknowledged that it would take a miracle during Sunday’s 3rd round of racing in order to advance to the mains. We both knew it was unlikely and I told her to just relax and have fun with friends. We prepared our Ramen Noodles and Broccoli dinner and just as we were about to serve it, Ellie called and insisted that we join her, Mike and a bunch of other friends at a local Barbecue restaurant. I resisted at first and then realized “resistance is futile!” We went and had a really good time, really good food and managed to leave the restaurant with a souvenir, a wooden pig! After such a fun evening out, I didn’t feel bad at all about wasting the 75 cents of Ramen Noodles we tossed out. I fell asleep in the thick humid night air, reminiscing about all the fun times we’ve had with Ellie and Mike Kidd and all of our BMX friends over the years. As I rolled over, I felt something hard under the edge of my sleeping bag. It was a little wooden pig. Hmm. That’s funny. I didn’t recall bringing it back to my tent. I resolved that the pig would find a new home on Sunday; maybe somewhere in Ellie and Mike’s trailer. On Sunday, we awoke to cooler weather and overcast skies. The Beast prepared to race her 3rd moto and Frankenbutt and I took our place along the fence on the 3rd straight. She finished last in her group of 6 riders although she looked great on the track. We met her as she came out of the finish line area. She was quite emotional and I assured her that we were proud of her. Frankenbutt said, “All I care about is that you did your best.” The Beast looked up nervously and said, “I don’t think I did. I didn’t try as hard as I could. I just didn’t think it would make a difference.” The tears rolled down my face and I smiled through them, thankful for her honesty. I really don’t know what lies ahead for the Beast, as far as BMX is concerned. I’m sure we’ll talk about that soon. But there was no time for that since I still had 2 shifts of scoring to do. I typically help score the semis and mains at national events but I get a little nervous doing that at the Grands since the final rounds are truly the fastest riders in the country. But it’s also an opportunity to witness the thrill of first place finishes and the agony of lesser finishes, lost by mere inches. It was really great to see some of the Beast’s friends win their first time trophies at the Grands. When it was all said and done, Frankenbutt, the Beast and I piled into our friend, Lenny Hicks’ Suburban. He had offered to drive us back to Jersey together with his 13 year old son, who raced amazingly well and won a trophy as tall as him. We had a blast riding with them and laughed our way through several states, arriving at Gmom’s in the wee hours of the morning. (I didn't even mind that Lenny almost ran a red light before leaving town and missed his first turn onto the highway out of Louisville; I just figured it was going to be another funny BMX memory!)

As we quietly slipped in her front door, I noticed a paper taped to the glass front of the screen door. It said, “Welcome Bikers”. I smiled. Gmom’s been following our ride all along via our blog. She is one of so many people who has helped us in some way to accomplish our crazy dream. In fact, I still have at least one more blog to write, acknowledging each and every person who has played a role in our journey. I may also write a “what worked/what didn’t” informational blog for anyone considering a bike journey. And then finally, I hope to write a blog about our ”random fandom”, including the messages we’ve been sent by people who passed us along the road, looked up our website and shared their thoughts with us. Forgive me for not getting this and other blogs posted in a timely way. I have many excuses but none of which I will drone on about. (FYI, I reminded Gmom to take the Bikers Welcome sign down; on a rainy day like today, cyclists might get word of her sign, show up and hang out in the comfort of her home, like we did!)

I don't think I can really express how proud I am of you guys. You are amazing people and always have been. This just confirmed it. I am sad that your ride is over, that your blog is coming to an end and that the NBL has gone away. Beast it doesn't matter if you win or lose on the BMX, I now realize this. You have won the biggest race of all.......you rode almost 4,000 miles and made it to your final destination. That's a winner in my book. And please Beast don't let your racing come to an end just like everything else did this past weekend. BMX is in your blood. Ya maybe you would take a break but you know you will be back :-) We will miss you all when you head back to Florida. Don't be strangers..........Neva always has a place to come to in Jersey! Love, Penny, Brittany and Sydney <3

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Ellie

9/7/2011 07:30:30 am

Oink! I found a pig in my fridge. I am thinking this little piggy may find its way to Florida soon!

The end of the NBL and the grands feels wierd to me too. A lot of people with a lot of questions with all the changes coming to the sport. Some will continue, some may not, and others will begin. It is the big circle...or cycle!

If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on.